US Citizen marrying in India

E

esjayp

New Member
Greetings all. I have the following questions:
1. If I(a naturalized US Citizen) marry a girl in India, how long does it take for her to come to US ?
2. Should the marriage be traditional or registered(I know registration is compulsory), What I mean is that if our marriage is a registered marriage(of course with our respective parents blessings!!), what documents and proofs will we need to furnish to the US Consulate ?
3. Is it ok for me to get registered marriage first, apply for the visa for my wife and then later(a few months later) get a traditional wedding, so that we can save some time on the visa processing. The reason for all this is that I am going to India for a very short visit now, I would like to get our marriage registered and apply for the visa right away, so that we dont lose time waiting until after the traditional marriage which might not happen for atleast for 6-8months(due to lack of time)

I would appreciate any feedback on this. Thanks a lot.
 
Here is the deal as I have experienced it.

The best situation is for her to come here first on a visa from India, and then marry her here. If India does not allow that, then you can marry her there, stay with her for a while, or wait for her in the US.

If the India consulate makes you file the I-130 in the US, then you are looking at about a 1 year wait, if everything goes smoothly. If the India consulate will process your I-130, then you are looking at about a 3 month wait to get her here.

Good Luck
 
Thank you for your response. But I am still confused:
What is the fastest way to get my wife here: is it K3 visa ?
Should I need to apply for I-130 for her prior to applying for K3 OR are they
both independant of each other. That means, she applies for K3, comes here
and waits for her I-130 to come through.
Can I apply for I-130 here in US while she applies for K3 in parallel.
Sorry for sounding a little lost(beacuse I am!), I just want to make sure
that I dont lose time unnecessarilly.
 
I dont know if this still works, I have heard that they have just changed the rules, but this is what I did.

I am an american born citizen who married a girl from India in Dec. 2003. We did the marriage, and then went to the US embassy in New Dehli a week later. We got there early in the morning and waited in the line that had formed outside. Once we got to the security check I showed them my passport and told them I was a US citizen and wanted to apply for my wife. They let me and my wife in, and I got all the docs from an agent. (I recommend completing them before you go there, print the forms from the US Immigration site, it will detail everything you need to bring). They took us to another room were we had to wait for 3 hours until they called us in for an interview. My interview was 5 minutes long, the guy was very nice, and made us take an oath. We submitted pictures of our wedding and that was it. I went back to America, and in 2 months my wife got a letter from the US Embassy to come for an interview/medical test. She will need to take supporting documents. The interview went well, and they gave her the conditional green card.

I have heard that they have changed this, however I dont know. I heard now that you have to either stay there for a month, or you can bring her here on a conditional visa, and get married here.
 
Do not get her here

I have 2 cousins who have done the same thing. I would advise against getting her here. Once she is here it will take way longer to get a Green Card than if you marry in India.

All you have to do is stay in India for 60 days before filing for her and GO TO NEW DELHI. Do not file any where else as this will save you months. Even if you live in Mumbai or Chennai...:)

It will take her less than 6 months and she will have her Green Card from day 1 when she lands. This is the best option. You may want to consult an attorney but I have already done this for my cousins.

PS: Now you can make online appointments for New Delhi. There is no waiting lines now. Things are really better there. Make sure you ready website for current Money exchange rate for amount you need to pay the bank and then you do not even need to take draft with you.

Hope this helps
 
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